Holder for towels and the like



May 20, 1952 G. c. LEIMER 2,597,112

HOLDER FOR TOWELS AND THE LIKE Filed April 12, 1946 Patented May 20, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HO ERFQR W L N H LIKE George C. Leimer, Chicago, Ill. Application April 12, 1946, Serial No. 661,831

2 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to holders for towels and the like and more particularly to a device adapted for domestic use. releasably to hold towels and similar fabric articles.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a holder for towels and the like which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which can easily be installed at a desired point of use.

Another object is to provide a holder which will resiliently grip towels and the like against its outer surface and in which the towels can easily be inserted in and removed from the holder.

Still another object is to provide a holder for towels and the like which is resiliently held against a mounting surface by a simple mounting means.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder embodying the invention;

. Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a rear elevation of the body of the holder;

Figure 4 is an elevation of the mounting and closure plate;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the hook member; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view illustrating mounting of the holder.

As shown the holder comprises a cup-shaped hollow body It which is open at one side and formed at the opposite side with an elongated central slot l I. On its interior the body is formed with a plurality of ribs I2 extending toward and terminating short of the open end of the body. While the body may be formed of any desired material, it may conveniently be molded of plastic or the like with the ribs I2 formed integrally with the body.

A hook member indicated generally at l3 extends through the opening II and is turned over at its outer end as indicated at It to overlie the outer surface of the body. Preferably, the inner edge of the hook member is convexly curved as shown to provide a gripping surface for gripping towels and like fabric articles.

The hook member is adapted to be pivotally connected to the body, and for this purpose the body is formed with inwardly extending pivot plates I5 lying at opposite ends of the opening.

l I and horizontally slotted at It. The hook mem} her carries a transverse pivot pin [-1 adapted to enter the slots 16 as best seen in Figures 2 and 6 pivotally to connect the hook member tothe body. The hook member is urged in a direction to grip a towel or the like by a compression spring I8 mounted in the body and engaging the inner end of the hook member at its upper end. The lower end of the spring l8 rests on the inner wall of the body between adjacent ribs I2 so that the ribs serve to prevent sidewise movement of the spring. A stop block I9 which may be integrally formed with the body serves to prevent forward movement of the spring so that the spring is securely held against slipping in the body after the device is assembled.

The open end of the body is adapted to be closed by a thin resilient metal plate 2| of a size and shape to fit into the open end of the body with its edge portions resting against the ribs I2. The plate 2| is held in place in the body by screws 22 extending through openings 23 adjacent the edges of the plate and threaded into fastening posts 24 formed in the body. In its central portion the plate 2| is formed with a pair of keyhole slots 25 which are adapted to receive mounting screws as shown at 26 in Figure 6 screwed into a supporting member 21. Preferably the screws 26 have tapered heads and are screwed into the mounting member 21 to such a distance that they will flex the central part of the plate 2| slightly when the plate is mounted thereon. In this way the body I0 is held firmly against the surface of the supporting part 21 so that it will not easily be displaced during use.

In using the device when it is installed on a wall or other desired spot as shown in Figure 6, a towel or like fabric article may be pressed upward between the end I4 of the hook and the outer surface of the body In. At this time the spring I8 will be compressed allowing the article to pass between the hook into the body, and when once in place, the spring will resiliently press the hook against the article. The article will, therefore, be held resiliently in place and may be removed by pulling thereon to slide it out from under the hook.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be understood that this is illustrative only and is not intended as a definition of the scope of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A holder for towels and the like comprising a hollow cup shaped body open atone side, ribs projecting inward in the body and terminating short of its open side, a resilient plate fitting in the open end of the body and resting against the ribs, fastening means engaging the plate adjacent its edges to hold it in the body, the plate having a keyhole slot in its central portion adapted to engage a fastening projecting from a mounting surface, a hook member extending through one wall of the body, means pivotally connecting the hook member to the body adjacent side walls, and a compression spring in the body engaging the inner end of the hook member, one end of the spring resting between adjacent ribs whereby slipping of the spring is prevented.

2. A holder for towels and the like comprising a hollow body adapted to be mounted against a wall with its outer surface parallel to the wall and having an opening therein, a hook member having an inner arm extending through the opening and an outer arm turned over to engage the outer surface of the body, a pair of pivot plates in the body at opposite sides of the opening having an open slots therein, a pivot pin carried by the hook member and fitting in said slots, and

a compression spring in the body engaging the inner end of the inner arm to urge the outer end of the hook member toward the outer surface of the body and to urge the pivot pin into the slots.

GEORGE C. LEIlVLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 750,634 Gable Jan. 26, 1904 818,421 Denning Apr. 24, 1906 1,242,956 Lewyt Oct. 16, 1917 1,266,962 Lawlor May 21, 1918 2,053,119 Sturtevant Sept. 1, 1936 2,339,187 Pain Jan. 11, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,155 Great Britain of 1906 205,553 Great Britain Oct. 15, 1923 386,473 France June 15, 1908 

